Anger vs. Aggression

Anger vs. Aggression

Aggression is not the same as anger, though people readily confuse the two. A person can be very aggressive and mug someone in the street, but they needn’t be angry with the victim to perform this callous act. It is far more likely the motivation behind this behavior is the desire to steal valuables from the victim. Conversely, one can be angry with someone and not behave aggressively towards them.

Aggression is often defined as any behavior directed toward another individual that is carried out with the intent to cause harm (e.g., Rohlf, Holl, Kirsch, Krahé & Elsner, 2018). Perhaps someone is doing or saying something you don’t like, so you retaliate (e.g., threatening them with violence) in a bid to stop them from doing or saying it. That is aggression. Anger, on the other hand, is the state of emotional and physiological arousal. It has been described as a feeling that involves a strong, uncomfortable, and emotional response to a perceived provocation.

Anger may have physical effects. It may increase our heart rate, blood pressure, and levels of the hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline. Anger is thought to trigger part of the fight or flight brain response. The external expression of anger can be found in facial expressions, body language, physiological responses, and at times in acts of aggression. Psychologists view anger as a primary emotion experienced by humans, and as something that is necessary for survival. Anger can mobilize psychological resources to enable us to take action to help ourselves, but on the less positive side, uncontrolled anger and acts of aggression can negatively affect personal or social well-being.

Course excerpt from:

Managing Anger & Aggressive BehaviorManaging Anger & Aggressive Behavior is a 3-hour online continuing education (CE) course that provides strategies for dealing with anger and aggression in clinical practice.

Healthcare professionals in every specialty have had experiences with anger and aggression, sometimes finding themselves the target of their clients’ anger. We are human, and all of us are subject to the full range of human emotions, even as therapists within the context of professional encounters with our clients. While anger is perfectly normal and almost universally experienced and expressed by individuals, it can become highly problematic when it is excessive in frequency and duration and is disproportionate to the event or person who triggered it.

The intent of this course is to address four interrelated topics: (1) understanding anger, (2) managing one’s own anger, (3) managing aggressive behavior from others, and (4) teaching clients to manage problematic anger. We will explore the different ways in which people can express outrage, including the commonly encountered forms of aggression (passive aggression, covert aggression, overt aggression, and outright hostility), and provide strategies for dealing with aggressors. As a foundation, we will also discuss coping strategies for managing our own anger and frustration as we go about our daily lives. Course #31-16 | 2019 | 53 pages | 20 posttest questions

Click here to learn more and enroll.

Course Directions

This online course provides instant access to the course materials (PDF download) and CE test. After enrolling, click on My Account and scroll down to My Active Courses. From here you’ll see links to download/print the course materials and take the CE test (you can print the test to mark your answers on it while reading the course document).

Click here to learn more and enroll.

CE Information

Professional Development Resources is approved to sponsor continuing education by the American Psychological Association (APA); the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC ACEP #5590); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB Provider #1046, ACE Program); the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA Provider #3159); the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA Provider #AAUM); the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR Provider #PR001); the Alabama State Board of Occupational Therapy; the Florida Boards of Social Work, Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy (#BAP346), Psychology & School Psychology (#50-1635), Dietetics & Nutrition (#50-1635), and Occupational Therapy Practice (#34);  the Georgia State Board of Occupational Therapy; the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors (#MHC-0135); the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker & MFT Board (#RCST100501); the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors & MFTs (#193); the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists (#114) and State Board of Social Worker Examiners (#5678); and is CE Broker compliant (all courses are reported within a few days of completion).

Earn CE Wherever YOU Love to Be!

Managing Anger & Aggressive Behavior

Managing Anger & Aggressive Behavior

Managing Anger & Aggressive Behavior is a new 3-hour online continuing education (CE) course that provides strategies for dealing with anger and aggression in clinical practice.

Healthcare professionals in every specialty have had experiences with anger and aggression, sometimes finding themselves the target of their clients’ anger. We are human, and all of us are subject to the full range of human emotions, even as therapists within the context of professional encounters with our clients. While anger is perfectly normal and almost universally experienced and expressed by individuals, it can become highly problematic when it is excessive in frequency and duration and is disproportionate to the event or person who triggered it.

Click here to learn more and enroll.

The intent of this course is to address four interrelated topics: (1) understanding anger, (2) managing one’s own anger, (3) managing aggressive behavior from others, and (4) teaching clients to manage problematic anger. We will explore the different ways in which people can express outrage, including the commonly encountered forms of aggression (passive aggression, covert aggression, overt aggression, and outright hostility), and provide strategies for dealing with aggressors. As a foundation, we will also discuss coping strategies for managing our own anger and frustration as we go about our daily lives. Course #31-16 | 53 pages | 20 posttest questions

Course Directions

This online course provides instant access to the course materials (PDF download) and CE test. After enrolling, click on My Account and scroll down to My Active Courses. From here you’ll see links to download/print the course materials and take the CE test (you can print the test to mark your answers on it while reading the course document).

Click here to learn more and enroll.

CE Information

Professional Development Resources is approved to sponsor continuing education by the American Psychological Association (APA); the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC ACEP #5590); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB Provider #1046, ACE Program); the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA Provider #3159); the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA Provider #AAUM); the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR Provider #PR001); the Alabama State Board of Occupational Therapy; the Florida Boards of Social Work, Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy (#BAP346), Psychology & School Psychology (#50-1635), Dietetics & Nutrition (#50-1635), and Occupational Therapy Practice (#34);  the Georgia State Board of Occupational Therapy; the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors (#MHC-0135); the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker & MFT Board (#RCST100501); the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors & MFTs (#193); the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists (#114) and State Board of Social Worker Examiners (#5678); and is CE Broker compliant (all courses are reported within a few days of completion).

Earn CE Wherever YOU Love to Be!

Electronic Media and Youth Violence

Electronic Aggression: Any type of harassment or bullying (teasing, telling lies, making fun of someone, making rude or mean comments, spreading rumors, or making threatening or aggressive comments) that occurs through email, a chat room, instant messaging, a website (including blogs), or text messaging.

Electronic Media and Youth Violence

Electronic Media and Youth Violence

Technology and adolescents seem destined for each other; both are young, fast paced, and ever changing. In previous generations teens readily embraced new technologies, such as record players, TVs, cassette players, computers, and VCRs, but the past two decades have witnessed a virtual explosion in new technology, including cell phones, iPods, MP-3s, DVDs, and PDAs (personal digital assistants). This new technology has been eagerly embraced by adolescents and has led to an expanded vocabulary, including instant messaging (“IMing”), blogging, and text messaging. New technology has many social and educational benefits, but caregivers and educators have expressed concern about the dangers young people can be exposed to through these technologies. To respond to this concern, some states and school districts have, for example, established policies about the use of cell phones on school grounds and developed policies to block access to certain websites on school computers. Many teachers and caregivers have taken action individually by spot-checking websites used by young people, such as MySpace. This brief focuses on the phenomena of electronic aggression: any kind of aggression perpetrated through technology—any type of harassment or bullying (teasing, telling lies, making fun of someone, making rude or mean comments, spreading rumors, or making threatening or aggressive comments) that occurs through email, a chat room, instant messaging, a website (including blogs), or text messaging.

Caregivers, educators, and other adults who work with young people know that children and adolescents spend a lot of time using electronic media (blogs, instant messaging, chat rooms, email, text messaging). What is not known is exactly how and how often they use different types of technology. Could use of technology increase the likelihood that a young person is the victim of aggression? If the answer is yes, what should caregivers and educators do to help young people protect themselves? To help answer these questions, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Adolescent and School Health and Division of Violence Prevention, held an expert panel on September 20-21, 2006, in Atlanta, Georgia, entitled “Electronic Media and Youth Violence.” There were 13 panelists, who came from academic institutions, federal agencies, a school system, and nonprofit organizations who were already engaged in work focusing on electronic media and youth violence. The panelists presented information about if, how, and how often technology is used by young people to behave aggressively. They also presented information about the qualities that make a young person more or less likely to be victimized or to behave aggressively toward someone else electronically.

Electronic Media and Youth Violence, a 1-hour online continuing education course, was developed for educators and caregivers and summarizes what is known about young people and electronic aggression and discusses the implications of these findings for school staff, educational policy makers, and caregivers.

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